Spin Wave Diffraction and Perfect Imaging of a Grating

Abstract

We study the diffraction of Damon-Eshbach-type spin waves incident on a one-dimensional grating realized by microslits in a thin Permalloy film. By means of time-resolved scanning Kerr microscopy, we observe unique diffraction patterns behind the grating which exhibit replications of the spin wave field at the slits. We show that these spin wave images, with details finer than the wavelength of the incident Damon-Eshbach spin wavelength, arise from the strongly anisotropic spin wave dispersion.